Bloodline
by Sara Nero
Summary: Sequel to House of Cards. Three months after the Huntik Team managed to rid the world of its biggest threat, they are now faced with what proves to be their biggest and most important mission just yet. Finding Eathon Lambert.
1. Prologue

**Bloodline**

_Prologue_

* * *

There has been sadness to his face when she told him that he looked like his father.

He knew. He has heard it countless of times before, but this time all it has left behind was a bittersweet feeling that he couldn't seem to get rid of.

"I am confident that you'll find him." They'd say.

"I bet that wherever he is, he is proud of you." Others would tell them.

"You should try to live on kiddo, no one has ever managed to get out of there." Some even dared to advise.

But in the end, none of their words mattered.

He didn't care how long it would take him or what it took in order for him to finally find him, but none of that mattered. He knew that his father was somewhere, alive, and that was reason enough for him to seek him out.

Now that the Spiral mark was gone for good, there was nothing that would be able to hold him back anymore. He would invest his all into finding his father, regardless of what people may say about him. He didn't care whether they'd call him crazy, delusional or stupid for clinging onto a tiny spark of hope, he wouldn't rest until he would finally find him.

Eathon Lambert.

* * *

"Lok, wait up!"

Lok turned his head to the source of the voice and cracked a smile upon seeing Den rushing towards him with a stack of books tucked under his arm. His brown hair was a mess, his forehead was covered in sweat and his socks were mismatched.

Seemed like his dear teammate has overslept again.

The blonde boy slowed down until Den reached him and stretched out his hand as a silent offer to take some of his friend's luggage. Den instantly took on his offer and placed three of his books in Lok's arms that were considerably heavier than he expected and shrugged his backpack that dared to slide of his shoulder properly back on.

"Good morning to you too, sleepyhead." Lok greeted his friend as they continued to walk towards their shared classroom at a slightly slower pace as Den tried to catch his breath.

"Mornin'." Den greeted as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve, ridding it of the sweat drops that covered it. "The girls?"

"Already in class waiting for us." Lok casually replied as they continued to walk down the hallway of their school.

It's been three months ever since they managed to rid the world of the Spiral Mark and ever since that day, many things changed.

After they defeated Victoria, the Huntik Team took their time in getting back on their feet. Many things happened that they needed to properly process and there were also many things that they needed to take care of in order for the Foundation to return back to its former glory.

After some weeks and with the help of all the Seeker across the world, they eventually managed to turn everything back to the way it formerly was. The Foundation Headquarters have been rebuilt, most of the Seekers have recovered and the Foundation finally managed to open the first dozen of Schools made for Seekers across the globe.

The Huntik team managed to recover with each others help but the scars that they earned during the months before were still beyond prominent and a daily reminder of the tears they shed, the fears they faced and the sacrifices they have made in order to protect the world.

Dante was drowning in paperwork and whereas Zhalia was trying her best to help him as much as she could, it would still take some weeks until they would be able to become an active team again. Just because they weren't an active team didn't mean that they didn't see each other though.

Ever since the Casterwill mansion has been rebuilt, Lok, Sara and Sophie moved back to live there together with LeBlanche and Santiago so that Sophie would be able to take care of all the Casterwill business. Den decided to stay behind at Dante's mansion together with Zhalia despite of Sophie's invitation to join them. Whereas he didn't have anything against the idea of living with Sophie, Sara and Lok, he didn't feel like leaving Zhalia and Dante alone to handle the entire mess.

Someone needed to make sure that they got enough rest, ate and worked out regularly. After the entire formal stuff was taken care of, Den assured them that he would think about joining them, but in the end, they would see each other daily anyways.

Now that the Foundation opened its own schools, Dante wasted no time and decided to enroll them as he had told them all those months ago when they left their old school after they got into a fight.

One would think that it was entirely different from a normal school and whereas it was true to some degree, not much has changed for them.

They still had to wake up early and returned home in the early afternoon. They still got exams, grades and teachers that seemingly loved to make their life a living hell but there were also a few new changes that took the Team quite some time to get accustomed to.

Many new subjects got introduced whereas the old ones got their own little twist to them, like History for example. Whereas they still learned about all of the historical events that took place in the past, they learned how all of these events and people were related to Seekers and the magic that they used.

Who would have thought that Napoleon was a seeker?  
Then, there were their schoolmates. The school that they attended was filled with seekers that lived in Italy and they all differed from one another. Of course, there also were the school bullies that liked to tease the weaker ones, the ones that liked to think of themselves as the school's kings and of course, the silent ones that never talked to anyone.

Not every student had their team and some of them preferred it that way. The teachers for the most part were the seekers that retired due to their age, due to them having started a family and only rarely going on missions or them wanting to simply share their wisdom after spending most of their lives as a seeker.

It was interesting, but just as tiring as normal school was.

The Huntik team was quite infamous around school and whereas many admired them and considered them as living legends their age, just as many openly disliked them. Fortunately, due to the mixed feelings people held for them, they were neither considered the schools most popular group, nor the school's freaks.

As for now, it was only their second week at school and so far, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The school had rather strict rules regarding the use of spells. Whereas the students were allowed to use them during classes like PE, for example, they weren't allowed to be used in order to purposefully harm others.

Whoever did so was to report to the school council and to receive their punishment according to the damage they caused to the building or their classmates. In some cases, one can even get expelled.

Sophie, Lok and Sara shared most of their classes with a few exceptions. Since Sophie decided that she'd liked to major in History, Sara in the psychological field and the boys in the practical field, they didn't share all of their classes together.

So far, they managed to get along with their classmates pretty well, but the four of them still mostly stuck together. Not only because they were a team, but because they felt more comfortable around one another.

Lok and Den eventually made it to class just before the bell rung and walked over to their row of seats that were located at the far end of the room. Sophie and Sara were already in their seats, the Casterwill heiress revising her notes from their last lesson while Sara was reading something in her history book.

Upon seeing her teammates approach, Sophie offered them a small wave and put her bag down from Lok's seat. Her boyfriend shot her a dazzling smile as he took the empty seat next to her at the end of the row while Den sat down between Sara and some girl whose name he had troubles remembering.

"Morning Soph, Sara." Lok greeted with a smile and it was just then that Sara noticed their presence and looked up from her book to return the blonde's smile.

"Morning Lok. I didn't think you'd make it on time." Sara commented as she closed her history book and put it back into her bag while Lok's smile turned sheepish.

"Well, I might have lost my English Book and if it weren't for LeBlanche, I probably wouldn't have found it either." He admitted, causing Sophie to poke him in the ribs.

"How many times did I tell you to take better care of your stuff?" Sophie asked, looking less surprised and rather exasperated with the young boy's habits.

Lok lifted his hands in the air in a surrendering manner and shot his girlfriend an apologetic grin. "I am working on it Soph, I promise!" He insisted, and whatever Sophie wanted to say drowned under the sound of the school bell ringing and their teacher entering.

Sophie merely shook her head at Lok, the latter gently nudging her to ensure that she wasn't really mad at him and upon seeing the strawberry-blonde haired girl smile, he returned his attention to the front of the classroom.

Sara also returned her attention to their teacher that had just entered the classroom and organized his files, his lean figure and rather handsome features causing many of the girls to once more gush about his youthful appearance.

And with that, class started.

Sara rested her chin on her palm and absentmindedly fixed her blue eyes on the board behind their history teacher as he started to continue his tale of the great Joan D'Arc. Sara had read the tale over five times during the last week and thus, decided to allow herself to zone out for some minutes until their teacher would be done with the story and do his usual round of answering the students' questions or questioning the students.

It was whatever he felt more like.

She was deep in thought, their teacher's words barely audible to her as she suddenly felt someone kick her shin from underneath the table.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to pointedly ignore the hit and to succumb to her thoughts once more but a certain someone obviously had other ideas.

As soon as she opened her eyes once more to look at her teacher, she felt her leg getting kicked again and this time, with more force.

"Klutz."

Another kick.

"Klutz, are you deaf?"

Sara clenched her jaw and inwardly prayed to whoever was willing to listen for a miracle, or that her teammate would finally shut up and leave her alone. Either was acceptable.

This time, she felt him poke her in the rib the same way Sophie did with Lok mere minutes ago, causing Sara to slightly jump in place out of surprise before she forcefully returned the favor of kicking Den's leg underneath the table.

He had anticipated her move, as expected, and looped his leg around hers to keep her from kicking him again, causing Sara to finally turn her head to the right and openly glare at him.

"What?" She hissed, clearly not in the mood for his games this early in the morning as she expectantly looked at him.

Den in return threw her one of his trademark grins that he seemingly kept reserved for whenever he managed to tick her off and eventually released her leg now that he had her attention.

He turned to look to his left, then to his right before he motioned for her to come closer with his index finger, much to her annoyance.

Complying ever so reluctantly, Sara leaned slightly forwards the moment he did, his expression surprisingly serious before he closed his eyes and deeply inhaled.

"Let me copy your homework."

Sara blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"You can't be serious." She deadpanned, expression blank and eyes filled with annoyance as she leaned back in her seat and rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on!" Den softly whined, once more encircling her leg with his when he saw her inch closer to Sophie before he slowly pulled her back towards him. "I can't afford to get caught without homework a _fifth_ time!"

Sara looked at him, inwardly contemplating whether it was worth it to actually use darksleep on him so that he would finally stop annoying her or if she should simply help him out a fifth time.

She sighed, and judging by the way Den's expression turned smug, he knew that he managed to get what he wanted.

Sara rummaged through her notes until she found her homework and slid it over to Den with a pointed glare. "This was the _last_ time I saved your sorry butt Fears."

Den instantly accepted the sheet of paper and shot his teammate a subtle wink. "We'll see about that, klutz. If you don't get me out of trouble, who else will?"

Sara rolled her eyes as a soft huff escaped her lips. He was still the very same arrogant jerk he was all those months ago and yet, she couldn't say that she minded because in the end, that was what kept her entertained.

"Shut up and write before you get caught."

He shot her a smile that she didn't catch because her eyes were focused on their teacher again, and Den returned his attention to his homework, eyes fixed on the paper while his mind strayed to the girl seated next to him every once in a while.

* * *

Zhalia hummed lightly as she poured the coffee she had just prepared into two mugs. It was still rather early in the morning and even though most people would still be asleep at this hour, Dante and her both agreed that the faster they took care of the paperwork for the Foundation, the faster they would finally get some well-deserved rest.

The young woman grabbed the mugs and slowly made her way into the living-room where Dante was already waiting for her. He was seated in his usual armchair, his TV display showing Metz's equally tired face as the duo went through some agreements and proposals together.

"I still have to consult Grier regarding that matter, but I am convinced that he will support our decision regarding the proposal." Metz told Dante, his voice rough from the lack of sleep he had received during the past night.

Zhalia placed their cups onto the small wooden table that was located in the middle of the seating area and sat down onto the love seat.

Dante shot his fiance a grateful smile as he lifted the mug filled with coffee that she had prepared for him from the table and placed it to his lips.

"Ah, Dante is indeed a very blessed man." Metz commented as he watched his former protegee with an envious glance that Zhalia had troubles to take serious.

"Indeed I am." Dante returned as he winked at Zhalia, who in return rolled her eyes with the ghost of a smile hovering above her lips

"Enough you two." She told them before she took a sip of the brown, hot liquid. "When will you be back in Venice?"

Metz smiled upon hearing his future daughter in law's inquiry and hummed lightly. "I am not quite sure, but I think that I'll be able to visit sometime next month after all of this was taken care of and I took a well needed break."

Zhalia snorted as she placed her mug into her lap and crossed one leg over the other. "Let's hope that we'll be done with all of this soon, a break does sound quite nice actually." She commented before her hazel eyes pointedly fell on Dante. "Especially since I know a certain workaholic that doesn't know when to stop."

Dante arched an auburn brow at Zhalia's words and placed his mug back onto the table, the corner of his lips curling upwards into a smirk. "As far as I know, I am not the only workaholic living in this mansion, dear."

"Oh really?" Zhalia asked, feigning surprise as she placed a hand over her chest. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I would have taken care of Den if I had realized it sooner but once again, the great Dante Vale was faster than me and saved the say. I must say that your observation skills are beyond impressive."

"And yours are lacking." Dante smugly returned, amber eyes gleaming as he took on her challenge. "But that's alright since we have _plenty_ of time to take care of that little problem after we took care of the Foundation work."

Metz merely watched the exchange between the two seekers and silently shook his head. Some things seemingly never changed and whereas he was beyond grateful for that, it sometimes reminded him just how old he actually was and how time flew by.

"As much as I hate to interrupt you, I am afraid that I need to address another rather important matter before I take my leave." Metz announced, instantly earning Zhalia and Dante's attention as the duo turned to look back at Metz, both wearing equally curious expressions.

"It's about Eathon Lambert."

At that, Dante and Zhalia both stiffened. The temperature in the room palpably dropped and the mood almost instantly switched from playful to serious.

Whereas Dante had expected Metz to mention Eathon some time soon, he didn't expect him to do so while Lok was absent. Zhalia in return didn't quite know what to expect from Metz and had a feeling that she knew where he was heading by bringing up this rather serious topic.

She had mixed emotions about the topic of Eathon Lambert's disappearance for several reasons, one of them being a certain blonde haired boy's feelings.

Metz instantly noticed the way the two of them expectantly looked at him and cleared his throat before he continued.

"Now that we managed to rid the world of its greatest threat and are working on healing it of its aftermaths and the damage it caused, I think that it's appropriate to say that since Eathon's disappearance was also caused by this threat, we should finally work on getting him back." He explained, his eyes carefully taking in Dante and Zhalia's expression.

A heavy silence followed his words as the two of them took in his words and eventually, Dante was the first one to speak up.

"Whereas I am not opposed to the idea, we should take the possibly outcomes and everything else that's necessary in order for us to complete the mission into consideration." Dante calmly told Metz as he leaned forwards and placed his forearms onto his thighs, hands intertwined in front of him as he turned to look at Zhalia. "What do you think, Zhaal?"

Zhalia pursed her lips into a thin line before she took a sip of her coffee, hazel eyes fixed on Metz. "I know how important it is for Lok to find his father, but we should gather all of the information we have before we involve the entire team. As soon as Lok finds out that this will be an official mission approved by the Foundation, he won't give it a rest. I don't want him to be disappointed by the clues we may gather, or lack of them."

Metz nodded in approval and Dante leaned back in his chair, expression thoughtful. "We still have the journal, we know where he is and that he is alive. These are the most important pieces of information that we need. Now, we only have to find out how to get him back, what it takes us to do so and what will happen once we get to him. As far as I remember, he disappeared battling the professors ten bests agents, meaning that they as well are wherever Eathon is at right now."

A thick silence once more filled the living-room and after some minutes, Zhalia was the first one to break it.

"We'll go through everything we have once more and figure out a suited starting point before we tell Lok and officially accept it." She told Metz, confident that this was the right thing to do both for Eathon and Lok's sake and safety.

They couldn't just thoughtlessly declare that they would once more seek Eathon Lambert without having secured a base of verified information that they could rely on during later investigations beforehand. As long as they would properly prepare themselves and the mission, there was no reason for them to fail and failing this mission was something that they'd rather not think about.

It would probably be one of the greatest missions that they would ever accept and yet, they knew that this day would sooner or later come. Besides, they'd rather accept it as a team than having Lok do it on their own behind their back.

"Very well then." Metz replied, his expression seeming more exhausted than before as he run a hand over his face. "I trust you to take care of it. I hereby release you of all the Foundation work that was assigned to you, and entrust you the task of finding out as much about Eathon Lambert's disappearance as you can."

Dante nodded as he looked at Zhalia, who in return gave him a curt nod as well, though she seemed slightly uneasy. "We'll report to you as soon as we found enough clues to work with and talked to the team about it." He told his mentor, who in return inclined his head.

"Alright then. Take care you two and get some rest, you need it before you take on your next mission. I give you two weeks to tell me your decision." Metz told them before his face disappeared and the TV display once more turned black.

Zhalia exhaled a soft smile and stood up, grabbing their now empty mugs of coffee before she made her way into the kitchen, a thoughtful expression on her face.

She placed the cups into the sink and looked out of the window, hazel eyes taking on a far-away look as her slim hands rested on the edge of the sink. She remained standing there for some moments, too occupied with her own thoughts to hear the footsteps approach her from behind.

Zhalia felt a familiar pair of lean arms wrap around her waist from behind before she felt herself getting pulled against a broad chest, the familiar smell of wood and cologne hitting her nose as she felt Date rest his chin on her head.

"Don't worry Zhaal, we'll find him." Dante assured her before he placed a feathery kiss on her temple, his hold on her not loosening as he felt her relax against him.

"I don't want to give him false hope." Zhalia admitted as a familiar pair of baby-blue eyes flashed in front of her inner eye. "I know that chances are high that Eathon is still alive, but that doesn't mean that we'll manage to get him out of Huntik."

Dante's chest vibrated softly as he hummed. "I know, but this is something that we can't spare him from. It's time for us to finally settle this matter for good, regardless of the outcome. Let's think positively and not worry about anything that didn't even happen yet and may never happen either."

Zhalia sighed and that's when Dante knew that he had won. He gently turned her around so that he could take a look at her face and used one hand to gently tilt her chin upwards, amber clashing with hazel as he offered her a small smile.

"Lok is stronger than you think, he'll make it." Dante told her, and Zhalia closed her eyes before she deeply inhaled through her nose.

"I know." She replied before she opened her eyes once more to look at Dante. "We should try to do our best to find Eathon then."

"That's the spirit." Dante praised before he tightened his hold on her waist and in the next moment, lifted her off her feet and right into his arms.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Vale?" Zhalia asked as she arched a curious brow at Dante, who was now making his way upstairs.

"Didn't you say that a certain workaholic didn't know when to take a break?" He innocently asked as he made his way up the stairs, amber eyes gleaming with amusement as he took in the disbelieving expression that Zhalia's face held. "So that's exactly what I am going to do now. I'll take my fiance's word to heart and spent the following days catching up on all the sleep we've missed until we'll have to start working on our new mission."

Zhalia crossed her arms above her chest. "So that's why you're abducting me?" She asked, the suspicion in her voice clearly audible and causing Dante to chuckle out of amusement.

"Exactly." Dante told her as he opened the bedroom door and placed Zhalia on the soft mattress after he shut the door with his leg behind him, her arms instantly wrapping around his neck as he leaned his forehead against hers with a smug smile. "Can't blame me for wanting to spend some quality time with my soon-to-be wife."

Zhalia's lips curled upwards into a smile that she only reserved for him, amusement sparkling in her eyes as she pulled him closer so that their noses were brushing against each other.

"No, I can't." She mumbled as she allowed her lips to briefly brush against his before she pulled them back so that they were hovering over his, the teasing glint in her eyes not going unnoticed by Dante. "I can't remember you asking for my consent to kidnap me, though."

Dante grinned as he tightened his hold on her waist and tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, amber eyes burning at the challenge.

"I don't have to ask to kidnap what's already _mine_."

And with that, his lips crashed against hers.

* * *

_A/N:_ I don't know where to start.

First of all, I know that it's been quite some time since I have last published anything in this fandom, but I had my reasons.

This story is one of them.

I have toyed with this idea for a very long time but didn't quite know how to turn it into an actual story. After some weeks of thinking it over, writing chapters, deleting them again just to start all over again I have finally reached a point were I can say that I am content with my work.

This story will be the official continuation of my previous story House of Cards and if anyone remembers me, I'd be beyond happy to hear from you!

It's been a long time ever since I have posted the last chapter of HOC and whereas I didn't plan or wanted to write a sequel to it and instead, create something entirely new, I just couldn't pass this idea and thought that the Team's Journey of finding Eathon would make more sense after everything that took place and happened in HOC.

Now, on to the actual story.

I have already written the first couple of chapters, so I'll regularly update this story, meaning that there _**won't**_ be any month-long hiatuses as there used to be with HOC. I didn't want to start anything without being certain that I would end it, so I hope that you'll support this sequel and story as much as you supported HOC by reviewing, favoriting and following.

This story is something that I have invested a lot into, and I'd highly appreciate any of your thoughts on it. Whereas this is only the first chapter and I know that it doesn't reveal much yet, I think that you can get a rough idea of what the story is going to be about.

Another important piece of information that I should probably add is that this story takes place three months after they defeated Victoria, meaning that the last part of the Epilogue /The time skip _didn't_ happen.

Anyways, I hope to hear of you soon and also hope that you'll like this Sequel as much as you liked HOC. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

I am really glad to be back and to be able to finally share another one of my pieces with the very first fandom that I joined all these years ago.

Let's start this journey once more, shall we?

See you very soon!

_Love, Sara_


	2. A Jouney's Beginning

**Bloodline**

_Chapter One_

* * *

Today felt different.

He didn't know what it was, or why he felt weird ever since he woke up that morning, but somehow Lok could tell that this day would not be an ordinary day.

The blonde boy was walking through the school corridor, a thoughtful frown gracing his face as he kept his blue eyes locked on the floor.

Lok however, being the optimistic young man he was, decided not to think too much of it as he walked to his next class that he shared with Den.

As soon as he entered the room, he instantly made out his brunette friend in the back of the room, talking to some of the boys that they shared PE with but as soon as he entered his sight, Den's sole attention shifted on to the blonde.

"Yo Lok!" Den called as he lifted his hand to greet his friend, causing Lok to smile brightly at him in return as he walked over to the small group and set his backpack onto his seat.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Lok asked as he turned around to lean with his back against the table and faced the group of boys in front of him.

"Not much." A ginger haired boy, whose name he recalled was Alex, replied with a shrug. "We were just talking about this new spell that Miss Burgery apparently wants to tell us about today."

Lok nodded his head in understanding before he felt Den gently nudge him, causing the blonde to look at his teammate in question.

"Dante wants us to come over later." The brunette told him, earning a confused look from Lok in return.

"But we were there last night." Lok returned, his eyes displaying the confusion that he felt as he watched Den shrug.

"Maybe because of our monthly evaluation?" Den suggested, and Lok gave a thoughtful nod in return. It would make sense, but he still wondered why Dante didn't tell them when they visited him and Zhalia last night.

"Ah man." One of the boys, a ginger male around their age rather suddenly groaned, causing the duo to look at him in mild surprise."I still can't believe that you're in a team with the _Dante Vale_. Hell, you even used to live with him, how crazy is that?"

The others gave their murmurs of agreement whereas Lok and Den simply exchanged a look that suggested that they had no idea as to what would be so special about living with Dante.

"Uh, I guess?" Lok eventually replied as he scratched his head while Den moved to sit down on his seat. "But it's not that much of a big deal."

The boys looked at Lok as if he'd grown a second head.

"Dude, you're in a team with two of the world's best seekers and you've helped them save the world thrice. If that's not a big deal then I don't know what it." Another one, Alex if he remembered correctly spoke up, and suddenly Lok felt uneasy under the sudden attention he received.

The blonde boy gave them a sheepish grin as he waved them off. "Yeah, right." He merely returned as he as well slumped down on his seat, hoping that they would get the hint and leave him alone.

Fortunately for the blonde, they did and moved to sit down on their own seat, but he could still hear them talk about his team.

He would never get used to it, really.

Lok and the rest of his team helped to save the world a couple of times, yes, and his mentor was the Foundations top seeker, that was also true, but Lok really didn't feel like it was that much of a big deal. He could understand that to the others it obviously was, but just because of that Lok wouldn't think this way as well.

He was still the very same Lok that he was when he met Dante. He had grown less naive over time and became stronger, but he refused to think of himself or his teammates any differently after everything that happened. Dante, Zhalia and the rest of his team were still the same in his eyes, and that wouldn't change just because others thought of them like some kind of celebrity.

With that thought firmly burned into his mind, Lok took out his book and opened its fourth chapter.

* * *

Zhalia was seated in her favorite armchair and was looking through some files as she heard the front door opening, indicating that the kids returned from school.

The bluenette gently placed the file that she was reading onto the arm rest next to her and threw one leg over the other as she briefly glanced at Dante out of the corner of her eyes.

The auburn haired seeker was already looking at her, the way his eyes darkened slightly revealing that he as well had mixed feeling about what was yet to come.

"You can't be serious Den!" Zhalia could hear Sophie exclaim in mild annoyance after the door was shut close.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong!" Den returned as he entered the living room, followed by his three teammates whose expressions all differed from each others.

Whereas Sophie seemed exasperated, Sara looked simply mortified and Lok seemingly didn't even bother to hide his amusement.

"You don't just tell one of our teachers that they've practically wasted their life seeking a titan!" Sophie returned as she placed her back onto the ground next to the seating area and walked towards the kitchen to get herself something to drink.

Den slumped down onto the couch, Lok following suit while Sara remained standing and looked at the brunette, clearly appalled.

"So what? It's the truth." He defended himself, seemingly unbothered as he gave Zhalia and Dante who were watching the teams exchange in mild curiosity a small salute as a greeting. "How's it going guys?"

"Quite good, though I don't think that I can say the same about you." Dante returned as his eyes shifted from Den to Sara and an approaching Sophie who still looked clearly annoyed by her teammates antics.

"I have to say that his expression was hilarious and totally worth it though, if it helps." Lok hopefully added what in return, earned him a glare from his girlfriend that instantly caused his hopeful grin to turn into a sheepish smile as he scratched his neck.

"It doesn't." Sophie deadpanned as she took place on the love-seat next to the couch, Sara sitting down next to the Casterwill heiress.

"I always knew that you didn't have a brain, but I thought that you at least had a heart." Sara told him as she huffed. "This poor man spend his entire life seeking a titan that he eventually found out didn't even exist in the first place. I fail to see how you bluntly saying that in front of the _entire_ class is even the slightest bit funny."

At that, Den gave her a blank look. "Who in his right mind believes that a _Rapunzel_ titan exists?"

Lok suddenly gave a cough that suspiciously sounded like a laugh while Sara laid a hand on her forehead as an attempt to calm herself. "Besides, he didn't spend his entire life looking for it, it was more like a hobby."

Sophie merely shook her head, knowing that there was no point in arguing with the brunette while Sara leaned her head into her neck and stared up at the ceiling in a silent prayer.

Lok still fought against the traitorous grin on his lips while Den seemed as smug as ever after having seemingly won the argument.

"Seems like you had an interesting day." Dante commented from where he was seated, earning the teams attention in an instant as they offered him a small nod in return.

"Well, as interesting as school can get." Sophie commented from where she was seated, and it was then that Zhalia decided to simply get it over with.

The bluenette's eyes suddenly darkened and her amused expression faded into a serious one as she stood up from her seat and grabbed the file that she had previously been reading. The Huntik team looked at the female in mild surprise, the sudden shift in her mood causing the temperature in the room too instantly drop several degrees as they watched her slowly walk a circle around them.

"I am sure that you are wondering why we've called you when you've just been here yesterday." She started, and the bluenette could instantly feel the apprehension that they emitted fill the room. Sophie had straightened in her seat whereas Lok and Sara tensed, Den's eyes having sharpened as they looked at Zhalia in silence.

Their concern and apprehension was satisfied, for whenever Zhalia turned back to her former serious self it meant no good. Scaring the teens was the last thing she wanted, but she needed them to know about the seriousness of the situation.

"We thought that it maybe was because of our monthly evaluation." Sara meekly commented as Zhalia stopped in front of the table, hard hazel eyes not giving anything away as a dry smirk graced her feature upon hearing her protegee's assumption.

"Unfortunately, it's because of something of higher importance that we've called you for." The bluenette replied, her eyes briefly meeting Dante's amber ones as the auburn haired seeker gave her a small, encouraging smile.

"I have a really bad feeling about this." Lok mumbled from next to Den, the brunette nodding in agreement as they expectantly looked at Zhalia.

The bluenette crossed her arms above her chest and and closed her eyes for a brief moment as she inhaled through her nose and carefully spoke her next words.

"What I am going to tell you next is something that you should consider an important matter and think about very carefully before you make any hasty decisions." Zhalia warned them as she once more opened her eyes to look at the Team sitting in front of her with a stern expression. "I want you to shut up and listen until the end of my explanation. After that, you're free to share your opinion and decision regarding the matter, even though I already know what it'll be. Got it?"

The Huntik team exchanged a mixture of wary and mildly curious looks before they all nodded in agreement and remained silent, wordlessly urging Zhalia to go on.

It was now or never.

"Last week, Dante and I received a call from Metz." Zhalia started, and judging by the way her team's eyes suddenly gleamed with concern she could already tell that they expected the worst. She couldn't blame them after everything that happened but it still caused her heart so slightly tighten in her chest out of sympathy. "He proposed a mission that we as a team have yet to accept and whereas Dante and I already know what your answer will be, we need you to know that this mission will not be like any other we've accepted so far. It's duration is unknown and its success rate is rather low, meaning that we'll have to spend quite some time on doing researches and traveling while looking for some clues before we can think about fulfilling the actual mission."

By now, the team seemed confused and yet, interested at the same time.

"A mission?" Den uncertainly echoed, expression filled with mild confusion as he looked at Zhalia. "What kind of mission can be of such high importance?"

Zhalia had hoped that one of them would ask this question and the ghost of a bitter smile hovered over her lips as she looked at the brunette with dark hazel eyes.

"A mission that will impact all of your lives in a different way, but will determine the future of especially one of you."

At that, Lok suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his spine as Zhalia's eyes shifted from Den to him. Expression serious as she looked at him in a way that caused his stomach to churn.

He didn't like the sudden heaviness that settled itself on his heart or the way all of his senses suddenly sharpened. Lok had a feeling where this was going, and even though he really wished that the mission that Zhalia was talking about was the one he had in mind, he didn't know whether he was ready for it yet.

It seemed that he had very little choices left, for Zhalia's next words caused his heart to skip a painful beat.

"We have received the mission offer to find Eathon Lambert and retrieve him from Huntik." Zhalia revealed, and in that moment Lok felt his entire world come to an halt.

He heard Sophie gasp out of surprise and felt everyone's eyes suddenly fall on him, but he didn't pay them any mind as he kept his blue eyes locked with Zhalia's.

Lok could tell that his teammate was giving him some time to process her words because as she had previously told them, they were not to be taken lightly. Right now, he needed to be able to depend on Zhalia's solidity and calmness and the only way he'd be able to do that was to listen to her full explanation, as she had told them.

Lok gave her a small nod, not trusting his voice as he saw a flicker of sympathy in the bluenette's eyes before she tossed the file that she was holding onto the table in front of them, the sound of the papers hitting the surface of the desk instantly catching their attention once more.

"Whereas I know that it's quite an unexpected surprise, I need you to focus." She calmly warned them as she once more crossed her arms above her chest, the authority in her voice causing the mood in the room to shift from surprised to serious once more.

As soon as she was sure that she had their full attention once more, she continued.

"Finding Eathon won't be an easy task, but it's possible." She reminded them, her voice not giving any of her personal feelings regarding the matter away. "In order to find him, there are several things that need to be taken care of beforehand. First of, we need to go through every piece of information that we have regarding his sudden disappearance and we'll once more track every singly one of his last steps until we find anything that may aid us in finding him. We need to be fully prepared for this mission and even though we don't know what the outcome may be, I want you to give your all whilst also being prepared for the worst."

Silence followed her words as their weight slowly descended onto the young group of teens. Dante shifted in his seat as he allowed his eyes to roam the group of seekers.

"This may be our hardest mission yet, team." Dante sternly reminded them, eyes narrowed. "No one has ever managed to get out of Huntik but if there's a way in, there has to be a way out. Aside from that, I want all of you to know that this mission is not to be taken lightly. It will drain you both physically and mentally and even though the Foundation will accept this mission and officially approve it, it's to be kept on the low. Once the Organization gets wind of it, they will most likely want to prevent us from getting to Huntik out of fear that with us getting Eathon out of there, the Professor may also manage to return."

The following moments, a thick silence filled the room. The Huntik Team took their time in processing the words and even though all of them already knew that they would accept the mission as Zhalia has already predicted, they also knew that it would not be an easy mission.

The expectations from the council would be high, and this mission would certainly be a roller coaster of emotions for all of them, especially Lok, but everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Lok would want to pick up the search for his father once more and since they were a team, and cared for his happiness and well-being, declining the mission was not even an option.

"I almost forgot about the Professor." Sophie mumbled from where she was seated, and Sara looked Zhalia and Dante for help.

The auburn haired male was about to speak up when Lok beat it to him.

"The Professor got dragged into Huntik through a portal that the legendary Titan of immortality, Overlos, opened during our battle against him." Lok told her, his expression blank as he looked at her with a sadness in his eyes that caused her own to soften out of compassion.

Sophie gently reached out and grabbed his hand and the blonde instantly intertwined it with her petite one before he gave it a reassuring squeeze and offered her a small smile that Sophie instantly noticed didn't quite reach his eyes.

"It's going to be hard to complete, but not impossible." Zhalia reminded them, her expression now slightly softened out of sympathy as her eyes fell onto the blonde boy in front of her. "Once you accept, there will be no going back until we've reached its end."

Dante also stood up from his seat and moved to stand next to Zhalia, his expression equally as serious as he looked at the group in front of him.

"Well team, do you think that we're capable of finding Eathon Lambert?"

Lok felt Sophie squeeze his hand one more before the Casterwill heiress gave Dante a curt, yet serious nod.

"If someone can get to Huntik and find Eathon, it'll be us." Sophie confidently spoke, causing Den to nod in agreement.

"Agreed. If there is a way in, there has to be a way out. It's time for us to get Eathon back home." Den declared as he straightened in his seat, dark eyes burning with determination as he looked at Dante and Zhalia.

"I also think that if someone is capable of getting Eathon out of there, it'll be us." Sara spoke, her brows furrowed as she turned to look at the duo. "We managed to prevent the world from going under already, and if Huntik really exists, there has to be a way for us to get in if he really is locked in there."

Zhalia and Dante both turned to look at the blonde boy who was still watching them with mixed emotions. After hearing his teammates words of support, most of his former doubts and concerns have vanished into thin air and yet, the fear of failing his father was still as present as ever.

The disappointment from their first attempt still cut deep and yet, the blonde knew that after everything that happened, it should be easier for them to find his father now that they didn't have anything else to worry about.

"I want to find him." Lok eventually declared as he tightened his hold on Sophie's hand, blue eyes shining with determination as he looked at his mentor. His mind was set, and his decision was made. "And I _will_ find him, no matter what it takes."

Dante eyed the four with calculating eyes as he took in their confident and determined expression. He had expected no less from his team. He had his own small concerns that all involved his blonde protegee, but they were small enough for him to oversee in favor of accepting the mission.

"Is that your final answer, team?" Dante seriously inquired, his voice grave as he watched them nod in return. It seemed like his team has made their decision and whereas he and Zhalia have already expected it, he felt assured to know that they have actually spend some time thinking it over. He could tell that Zhalia shared his opinion because her posture has relaxed ever so slightly next to him, much to his satisfaction.

"Very well then. Starting from today on, our main mission will be to find Eathon Lambert and to return him to us." Dante declared, his words causing the feeling of uneasiness that had previously tugged at his heart to disappear. "We will still take on some other, small missions while we'll do our researches, but out main focus will be on finding Eathon."

He could tell that the following months would be quite challenging to all of them, but upon seeing the way Lok's eyes brightened up with sparks of hope, Dante knew that he had done the right decision and that whatever they would face, they'd be prepared and ready to take it on.

As a team.

"Well, when and where do we start?" Den asked as he leaned forwards, eager to begin with their mission as he expectantly looked at his teammates.

"Right here and now." Zhalia curtly returned as she walked over to one of the living room cabinet and opened it's door, revealing two rather high stacks of papers.

"This is every little piece of information that the Foundation holds of Eathon Lambert. What you see here is every one of his mission reports, his notes, a list of the titans he found and uses as well as a detailed report as to what he has done during his six month break when Sandra had Lok." Zhalia explained, causing Lok's eyes to widen out of surprise. "We'll go through every paper in here, highlight everything that may be of importance and summarize it. We will also analyze Eathon's fighting style, titans, and the places where he spend most of his times at so that we can look for a pattern."

Lok never expected there to be so much information about his father's time with the Foundation and even though it did make sense, it was quite overwhelming.

"Wait, so you mean that we will have to do all of that now? On our weekend?" Lok asked, clearly not pleased about the idea but the look that he received from Zhalia was enough to make him shut up in an instant.

"Well then, it seems like you'll stay the weekend over so let's get changed into some comfy clothes and get on to it." Den suggested as he stood up and grabbed his bag. Sara and Sophie followed suit as they grabbed their bags and followed Den upstairs.

Lok, however, merely remained standing in front of the couch and looked at Dante and Zhalia, his eyes filled with an amount of gratefulness that caused their heart to go out to the young boy in front of them.

"I can't thank you enough for giving me this opportunity and for helping me guys. It means the world to me, really." Lok seriously told them, his voice low and yet filled with an amount of sincerity that earned him a small smile from Zhalia.

"We know." Zhalia softly returned. "And that's exactly why we'll give our all to support you and help you find you father until the very end, Lok."

Lok's eyes filled with tears that he had tried to suppress for the past minutes before he dried his eyes with his sleeve and offered them his best, bright grin. In the next moment, he took a step forwards and firmly wrapped his arms around the duo.

"You're the best." Lok told them as he tightened his hold on them. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for you. Thank you for helping me when no one else would, and for supporting me when I needed it the most. I couldn't wish for a better team and family."

Dante gently patted Lok's back while he exchanged a knowing look with Zhalia, his soft smile never leaving his lips as Lok pulled back to throw them his trademark grin.

They definitely did the right thing, regardless of what would expect them during the search for Eathon, and even though he wasn't too sure of it before, he was now.

"Get changed adventure boy, we have a lot of work to do." Zhalia reminded him with a sigh, hazel eyes sparkling with amusement as she watched the blonde boy nod before he took off after the rest of his team to do as told, leaving Zhalia and Dante behind who watched him with leave a small smile before they moved to gather all of the documents needed before they'd start with the actual investigation.

Not too soon later the teens joined them downstairs, all dressed into some more comfortable clothes as they each split up the papers as well as documents to revise them and take some notes.

"Wow, your dad really liked going on missions." Sara commented from where she was kneeling on the ground, her elbows resting on the couch table's surface as she eyed his father's rather long mission record.

"He lived for them." Lok told her, his eyes never leaving his father's first mission report as he shifted slightly from where he was laying on the love-seat with his legs draped over Sophie's lap. "I still remember all the stories mom would tell me of whenever he was away on a mission, or as she called them, his adventures."

"The amounts of titans he found and the kinds that he managed to bond with is simply fascinating." Sophie mumbled, clearly intrigued. "It's remarkable, really."

Dante walked out of the kitchen and tossed Lok and Den a water bottle as he moved to sit back down on the couch next to Zhalia, who was currently looking at something on her Holotome.

"Eathon isn't a legend for no reason." Dante reminded them as he took out his own Holotome and opened a file that Metz had sent him after Dante told him that they would accept the mission. "Everyone knows of the love he held for discovering old legendary artifacts and of his high success rate."

The team fell silent into a comfortable silence, each one of them occupied by their own task as they spent the following hours doing nothing but researches into the late night hours.

They took small breaks every once in a while but shortly after midnight, the exhaustion on the team's faces was clearly evident.

Sara was the first one who tried to fight off her tiredness. She weakly attempted to stifle her yawns and even though her eyelids started to droop despite of her struggles to keep them open, she refused to be the first one to go to sleep.

Sophie was no better off than her and had her head already rested against Lok's shoulder as her tired eyes were locked on her Cypherdex. Whereas the blonde boy still seemed to be wide awake, she knew that it was mostly because of his stubbornness and desire to find his father as soon as possible.

Den was currently in the kitchen, getting himself some late night snack while Dante was talking to Metz in his study and Zhalia was going through some files as well, the bluenette not looking the least bit tired.

She was used to it after all, being the pro she was, so staying awake and reading some files was normality to her. Zhalia seemed eerily calm as her hazel eyes carefully scanned paper for paper while she typed something into her Holotome every once in a while.

When Den once more walked into the living room with an energy bar stuck between his teeth, he instantly noticed the way his female team members were struggling to stay awake and shook his head. He sat down on the couch next to Zhalia and lifted his arms into the air. Whereas most would think that he was stretching, the brunette tried to get Lok's attention and slightly waved with his hands.

The blonde saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and teared his blue eyes away from the paper he was reading to look at his brunette teammate in mild confusion.

Den nodded his head towards Sophie before he allowed his eyes to stray to the brunette girl that was sitting on the ground some meters away from him that had obviously lost the fight against her sleepiness and was leaning with her head on her forearms, sound asleep.

Lok instantly got the hint and gave Den a small nod before he gently turned his head to his right to look down at Sophie.

"Soph, let's go to sleep."

A wave of guilt practically flooded him as Sophie's emerald eyes shifted from her Cypherdex to his face and he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. How could he not have noticed her tiredness earlier?

"Are you sure, Lok?" Sophie asked, clearly hesitating. "I have no problem with staying awake for some longer."

Lok's expression softened as he gave her a small nod and offered her a soft smile. "Of course, Soph. We can always continue tomorrow."

Sophie, although reluctantly, closed her Cypherdex and stood up from the couch, Lok following right after as they turned to look at the rest of their team.

Zhalia briefly glanced at them from over her Holotome before she gave them a small nod of approval. "Get some sleep, you'll need it for tomorrow."

Den used this chance to stand up as well while Lok and Sophie dragged themselves upstairs. He sighed and shook his head upon seeing the brunette hunched over the files and silently moved to kneel down next to her.

Gently resting a hand on her shoulder so that he wouldn't wake her, he carefully pulled her against him so that he could carry her into her room. Sara stirred in her sleep and Den took this moment to gently pull her against his chest, his hand carefully placing her head into the crook of his neck.

"Den?" He felt her mumble against the skin of his neck, a soft sigh following after as he lifted her into his arms. "What are you doing?"

Den gave Zhalia a small nod which she returned with a small smile as he turned around to make his way upstairs.

"It's time to go to bed, sleepyhead." He softly mumbled in return as he made his way up the stairs.

Sara groaned softly as she fought to open her eyes, but found herself too tired to do so. "But I'm not done with the files yet." She tiredly mumbled, his familiar scent flooding her senses and calming her hazy mind.

"We can do that tomorrow, the others already went to sleep as well." Den assured her, feeling her nod as he finally reached the door of her room and opened it with his elbow before he went inside the dark room.

It's been some time ever since he's last been in there but he still remembered every little detail of it. He moved over to the king-sized bed and gently pulled the sheets away before he laid his teammate onto it and once more covered her with them.

She was already sound asleep once more, her long hair sprawled across the crème colored sheets as her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Den allowed himself a moment to simply sit on the bed next to her, eyes resting on her innocent expression as his expression softened. He reached out towards her face, fingers just about to brush against the soft skin of her cheek before he hesitated.

His brown eyes were stormy, filled with a mixture of emotions as he slowly balled his hand into a fist. He couldn't allow himself to get there, to allow himself to take this step.

He couldn't ruin her as well.

And yet, Den found himself unable to stop himself. He suddenly paid attention to the smallest of things she did, to the way her face scrunched up into a small pout whenever she didn't understand anything or how her eyes brightened up with a certain fire whenever he managed to get her riled up.

She deserved better than a broken boy who hid behind his rude exterior but then, there were moments like this when he wanted to do nothing more than to stay in her calming presence, when he wanted to do nothing more than to prove her that he could be all she wanted and needed.

She made him want to become a better man, someone whom others would look up to and admire. Especially _her_, but of what use was it to become a better person if the one thing he wanted he was unable to obtain, even then?

It was a dilemma that haunted his mind, stole his sleep and caused his heart to ache.

He needed her close to him to stay sane, but for her own sake he would keep her at a safe distance.

Den forced himself to tear his eyes away from her face and retrieved his arm once more, the anger that he held for himself pulsing through his veins as he pulled his arms back and left her room with a heavy heart.

He would have to fight against his own wishes and feelings for her sake, no matter how much power or he would have to invest into it.

When blue eyes flashed his inner eye however and his heart gave a traitorous jerk, he knew that it was a fight that he would have to fight on his own.

No one would understand his reasons, no one would be able to help him, and no one would be able to stop him.

It was a fight that he had to fight against himself, and he already knew he was bound to lose.

* * *

When he returned to his office, he found her sitting on his desk, one leg thrown over the other as she looked at him with dark, hazel eyes.

Dante closed the door behind himself and leaned with his back against it, amber eyes locking with hers as he returned her blank stare with one of his own. It were moments like these that the old Zhalia made an appearance, the very same old Zhalia that refused to let him under her skin and made him wonder what was on her mind.

"The teens?"

"Asleep."

Dante hummed curtly as he slightly narrowed his eyes and pushed himself off the door, not moving towards her as he crossed his arms above his broad chest.

"I take that you have found something?" He guessed, and judging by the way Zhalia's lips pursed ever so slightly he instantly knew that he had hit the bull's eye.

Zhalia slowly moved off the desk so that she could lean with her back against it, midnight blue hair shining in the moonlight that filtered through his window.

"Eathon planned on finding Huntik for longer than we expected."

Dante lifted a brow upon hearing the news, clearly not having expected it as he tilted his head ever so slightly aside in question, silently urging her to elaborate and Zhalia lifted a file from the desk into the air.

"He planned to return to a small village close to where we found the Nexus at. Apparently, he believed that somewhere in the village was a titan that he believed would aid him in getting him there." Zhalia informed him as she once more placed the file onto his desk.

"So, you think that Eathon wanted to find a way to get into Huntik with proper preparations but eventually found himself stuck in there while he tried to escape the professor?" Dante summarized, and Zhalia confirmed it with a firm nod.

Dante figured that it did make sense, and even though the knowledge that Eathon wanted to find Huntik after he would have found the amulet of will was enough to unsettle him.

"If he wanted to find the Amulet of Will and the remaining legendary titans so that he could safely get back out of Huntik, it will be hard for us to find another way to get to Huntik now that the legendary titans are back in the Spirit World." Dante grimly noted.

"If Eathon managed to discover a Nexus in Peru, there has to be another one somewhere." Zhalia firmly reminded him, eyes glistening with determination. "What leaves us with two choices."

Dante sighed as he pushed himself off the wall, clearly troubled as he run a hand over his face and walked over to his desk.

"We either find another Nexus and follow him inside, or try to find a way to get him out of there without entering Huntik." Dante concluded as he slumped down on his seat and turned his chair to gaze out of the broad windows onto Venice's empty streets.

Zhalia turned around to look at his back, a small sigh passing her lips as she shook her head. These were the only two options they had left in order to get Eathon out of Huntik. Of course there was also the possibility of Eathon managing to get out of Huntik on his own, but if he was unable to do so for the past ten years, he most likely wouldn't manage to free himself now either.

"We should visit the village close to the Nexus in Peru. Maybe the Titan that Eathon was looking for or the villagers will be able to help us in finding another Nexus." Zhalia suggested, her voice having dropped an octave lower as she watched Dante think about her proposal in silence.

After some moments of pondering, she heard Dante heave a heavy sigh before he turned back around to look at her, elbows resting on the surface of his desk as he interlaced his hands in front of him.

"Very well then." Dante yielded, expression stern as he looked at Zhalia with burning, honey eyes. "Pack some things while I'll inform Metz about our little trip and tell him to notify the School of the teens absence."

Zhalia nodded, before a thought hit her. "What about the teens. Do you want me to wake them?"

Dante considered it for a moment before he shook his head no. "Let them sleep. We'll tell them during breakfast so that we can leave before noon. This way they'll get to rest in the plane during the plane flight and gather enough energy for our mission. I trust you to have gathered some information about the titan already?"

Zhalia lifted a brow, silently daring him to suggest otherwise while Dante in return smirked, clearly satisfied.

"I'll take my leave then Vale." Zhalia told him before her expression turned serious. "I expect you to follow my lead and go to bed within the next hour as well. We don't need a grumpy and exhausted Dante during our mission."

Dante, clearly amused by her little warning merely offered her a small nod in return. "Of course love. I'll join you in ten, latest."

Zhalia eyed him for a moment, clearly suspicious by the way he easily yielded before she turned around and left his office, the sound of her heels clacking against the floor echoing through the silent study.

Dante watched her leave with a fond smile on his lips, but the moment the door closed and the weight of what was about to come settled on his shoulders, it wavered.

His eyes darkened as he closed his eyes and laid a hand over his forehead, lips thinned as he thought about the mission.

That Eathon managed to find a Nexus was a luck, but finding a second one would simply be a miracle that he really hoped they would be blessed with. He opened his eyes to look down onto the file that Zhalia has left him on his desk and felt his heart clench in his chest.

He had a bad feeling about this mission and the titan, but he knew that he would have to check the village for any clues that Eathon may have left them.

For both, Lok and Eathon's sake.

* * *

Lok woke up by feeling a feathery touch on his cheek.

The blonde squinted his eyes before he opened his baby blue eyes just to stare into a familiar pair of concerned, emerald ones.

"Lok." She softly whispered his name, her hand not leaving his face as her eyes bore through his. "Are you okay? It seemed like you had a nightmare."

Lok relaxed under her touch and tightened his hold on her waist before he pulled her closer against him, needing to feel her presence and warmth as he nuzzled her neck.

"I'm fine." Lok whispered as he inhaled her sweet scent and closed his eyes, savoring the blissful moment of peace for as long as he could.

It was the truth after all. He didn't remember having a nightmare but judging by Sophie's worried expression, he must have talked in his sleep once again.

He felt Sophie calm in his arms and for some moments, the two simply laid in bed and enjoyed each others presence, the sound of the soft tune that Sophie was humming breaking the room's silence.

They spent the following moments savoring the feeling before Sophie eventually suggested that they should wash up so that they wouldn't miss breakfast with the others.

Lok reluctantly nodded and released his girlfriend, not without giving her a lingering kiss onto her temple though and moved towards his old room so that Sophie could wash up here while he would use his old bathroom.

After a total of twenty minutes, the duo finally made it downstairs and joined Dante and Sara on the table, the auburn haired seeker greeting them with a bright smile.

"Good Morning Lok, Sophie." He each gave them a respective nod. "I hope that you slept well."

Sophie beamed at him as she gratefully accepted the coffee that Sara handed her. "We did, thank you. What about Zhalia and Den?" The young Casterwill heiress inquired upon noticing her teammates absence, and Lok looked around the table as if he had just noticed that they were missing.

"Zhalia is getting him downstairs. It seems like he didn't get much sleep last night." _If the hole in the wall is anything to go by._ Dante silently added in his mind as he briefly glanced towards the staircase out of the corner of his eye.

This morning when he wanted to check on the teens, as he made it a habit of doing, he had noticed a hole in the wall close to Den's door and upon opening the door to his room and finding him sprawled across his bed with dark bags under his eyes, he figured that something must have happened to trouble the young boy, much to his concern.

He, of course, told Zhalia when she had asked about his absence and his fiance took it up on her to get Den out of bed, most likely whilst interrogating him.

The team started breakfast in silence and shortly after, Zhalia made her way down the stairs with a beyond tired looking Den who looked as if he had partied for a week straight.

The others have instantly noticed as well but upon seeing the glare that Zhalia shot them as she noticed that Lok was about to open his mouth to most likely make a stupid comment, they decided against saying anything.

Den sat down on the only available seat between Sara and Zhalia as he offered them a gruff greeting before he took a slice of toast and started to nibble on it.

While Sophie looked at Zhalia in silent question, the elder female merely shook her head in return and took a sip of her coffee, indicating that she didn't know much more about his current bad mood either.

The team eventually fell into a light chatter, Sophie and Zhalia talking about school while Lok told Dante about this new titan that he heard a classmate tell him off.

Sara suspiciously eyed Den, wondering what would get him into this much of a bad mood this early in the morning before her eyes caught sight of a small detail that she had formerly missed.

The brunette placed her mug onto the table and upon seeing Den reaching out to grab a slice of fruit, she took the chance to grab his hand with hers and pull it towards her.

She expected him to be surprised, but what she didn't expect was for him to flinch the moment her skin touched his. Her eyes widened ever so slightly out of surprise as she looked up, his brown eyes looking down at her in equal surprise as she tightened her hold on his hand.

She briefly broke the eye contact to look if the others had noticed that anything was off but judging by the way they continued to talk with one another, she assumed that they didn't.

Sara lowered their hands so that she could properly look at his and upon seeing the purple and blue bruises that grazed his knuckled, she grew even more concerned.

What was up with him?

"How'd you get that?" She asked him, voice low so that she wouldn't attract the other's attention but when she looked back up at Den, she noticed that his eyes once more turned blank.

He yanked his hand out of her grip and looked at it for some moments before he looked back at her, brows lightly furrowed.

"Mind your own business." Was the only curt answer he offered her as he grabbed a slice of an apple and locked his eyes on the rest of the team, having ended the conversation just like that.

Sara looked at him in mild surprise before she looked back down onto her own hands, the way he flinched under her touch not leaving her mind. She knew that Den was especially moody in the morning, yes, but he never acted this cold towards her and _never_ flinched.

She lifted her eyes once more to see that he now joined Lok in telling Dante about some titan and couldn't help but frown, a pang of hurt washing over her as she noticed that he seemingly got a grip on himself and acted as normal as usual with the others, but still completely ignored her.

Unbeknownst to her, Zhalia had noticed their little exchange and if anything, grew only more suspicious of Den's sudden shift in behavior around her protegee. When she went to get him out of bed, he refused to tell her what bothered him and merely told her that he wasn't feeling well lately and whereas it didn't seem like a lie, she knew that it wasn't the full truth either.

She placed a hand on Dante's thigh beneath the table and slightly dug her nails into his skin and judging by the way he instantly grabbed hers into his larger one, he got the hint.

"Team, there's something that we need to tell you." Dante announced, at at the curious gazes he received, he knew that the lack of concern in their eyes was a good sign.

Zhalia lifted her glass of water to her lips and took small sips from it, waiting for Dante to elaborate when all of sudden, Lok's eyes widened and he dramatically pushed his chair back and leaned forwards onto the table.

His eyes moved from Zhalia to Dante, then back to Zhalia as he noticed that both of their hands were below the table, and the blonde dramatically gasped.

"Zhalia's _pregnant_?"

The moment the words left the blonde's mouth, chaos erupted.

Zhalia choked on her water and fell into a coughing fit while Dante gently patted her back, the amused smirk on his lips not going unnoticed by her as she struggled for air.

Sophie's eyes widened as a startled _"__What__?" _left her lips and Sara merely gasped out of surprise, Den instantly following Lok's example by dramatically standing up with a piece of toast stuck between his teeth as he looked at Zhalia with wide eyes.

The bluenette swiftly waved her hand, trying to deny it without having to speak but when it seemingly didn't work, she shot Dante a pointed glare who, ever so reluctantly, got the message and looked at his team with a shake of his head.

"As amusing and heart warming your reaction is, I am afraid that I'll have to disappoint you." Dante revealed, and Lok's expression instantly fell out of disappointment.

Den seemed relieved as he slumped back into his seat and continued to eat his toast, the young boy seemingly not ready to babysit a young, crying baby while Sophie seemed equally as disappointed as Lok did and Sara looked merely confused at everything that happened during the past minute.

"So Zhalia isn't pregnant?" Sara inquired, and at the chilling glare that she received from her mentor, the brunette shot her a sheepish smile.

"I am _not_ pregnant." Zhalia declared as she managed to free her lungs of all the water and looked at her team, and especially Dante, with a look that could easily kill them.

At that, Lok seemed confused. "But what other news could there be?"

The others turned to look at Dante as well, equally as confused and curious as the auburn haired seeker pointedly tightened his hold on Zhalia's hand beneath the table as he felt her try to pull it away from his, probably because she still didn't forgive him for not denying Lok's suspicion on his own.

"We have found a starting point regarding our mission to find Eathon." Dante announced, and Lok felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing the sudden news.

"Already?" He asked, not having expected them to come across a clue this fast as his eyes lightened up in excitement. "What is it?"

Dante turned his head to look at Zhalia and despite of the raven-haired female's earlier heart-attack, she was back in her professional mode in an instant.  
"Eathon planned on finding Huntik after he retrieved the Amulet of Will." She started and as expected, the surprise on the others faces was clearly evident. "He planned on finding the Amulet of Will and some other titans that could be of use for him in Huntik but as we all know, he was forced to enter Huntik through a Nexus he discovered before he was able to retrieve the titans, or the Amulet of Will."

Zhalia made a small pause, allowing the team to process the news as she let Dante take over.

"The current state of things is that the Nexus he entered Huntik with broke, the Legendary Titans as well as the Amulet of Will are locked in Huntik and that all there's left to do for us is to find the titans he wanted to retrieve while trying to find out what exactly he needed them for." Dante explained, and Sophie frowned, instantly seeing the problem.

"That may be a start, but even if we find the titans, how are we going to get to Huntik, or rather, get Eathon out of there?" She curiously asked, her hand gently resting on top of Lok's as the blonde expectantly looked at his mentor.

Dante's expression turned serious once more as a small sigh escaped his lips. "We'll start by going to Peru and examining the broken Nexus once more. After that's done we'll go to the village that Eathon visited before he jumped through the Nexus and try to find out anything that may get us a step closer to what Eathon planned, or the titan he planned on retrieving in the Peruvian forest."

"So how we get my dad out of Huntik depends on what clue's he may have left us?" Lok clarified, and Zhalia nodded.

"Exactly. Though, there's something else that we'll attempt to find while seeking the titans Eathon was looking for. If we'll find it and have properly prepared ourselves by having retrieved the titans needed for us to get out of Huntik by then, we'll be able to get into the Spirit World and get Eathon out of there." She explained.

"What else do we need other than the titans in order to get to Huntik?" Den inquired, brown eyes fixed on Dante and Zhalia as the latter returned his look with a grave one of her own.

"A Nexus."

Sophie's eyes widened, as did Lok's while Sara looked confused and Den arched a brow upon hearing Zhalia's announcement.

"You mean, a second Nexus?" Lok asked, wide blue eyes shifting from Zhalia to Dante. "Is that even possible?"

Dante gave Lok a curt nod in return. "It's possible, but without any clues or notes we won't be able to find a second Nexus. That's exactly why I hope that by analyzing the broken Nexus' magic, it's position and by talking to the Villagers, we may get some information."

"But didn't the chamber that contained the Nexus cave in after we talked to Eathon?" Sophie inquired, obviously confused before she received a nod from Zhalia in return.

"It did, but just because the Nexus broke the magic it emitted didn't fade. Whereas we can't repair the Nexus, we may be able to find a second one through it." Zhalia revealed, and Lok felt his heart-beat fasten beneath his chest as he clenched his fist beneath the table.

He forced himself to remain calm and not to let his happiness take over him, but now that they finally had something to work with, the spark of hope that he held was slowly turning into a small flame again.

The very same flame that he held when they went to seek the Amulet of Will.

"I am sure that Eathon left something behind." Sara commented in hopes of getting them to stay optimistic. "Judging by what you guys told me he knew that the Organization was after him, so he must have left something other than the journal behind."

Lok watched Dante nod in agreement and felt the weight that was formerly weighting his heart down ease. He knew just as well that it would take them some time until they would come across a clue, but knowing his father, he was certain that he had left him something behind.

Maybe nothing related to the location of a second Nexus, but something that would indicate that there was not only one, but more on this planet.

And if there was, he would find them, even if it meant that he would have to spent years of doing so.

He couldn't let his father down, he was counting on Lok to find him and he would not disappoint him.

"So, Peru?" Den reminded them as he plopped a grape into his mouth. "When do we leave?"

Dante looked at his team and offered the young group of seekers a small smile, his amber eyes shining with determination as he took in their serious expressions. This would mark their first day of their journey of finding Eathon and regardless of how long it may take them to do so, he knew that as long as the team was together, he had nothing to be concerned about.

"As soon as we finished breakfast." Dante told them as he gave Zhalia's hand a small squeeze. She turned her head to look at him with a small smile, and the warmth that her eyes held was enough for his worries to instantly disappear.

He may have a bad feeling about their trip to Peru but as long as he had Zhalia and the rest of his team safe and sound by his side, he would have no reason to worry about anything.

"Seekers, we have a mission."

* * *

**A/N: **Hello my sweets! As promised, I am back with a new Chapter.

This one contained a lot of necessary information and even though not much happened yet, the fun and action will officially start next Chapter.

What do you think of it so far? I hope that you like the way things are headed and are looking forward to reading more of Bloodline.

Whereas this story is about the Team trying to find Eathon, it's also about the members of the teams finding themselves. They'll be faced with their greatest fears, heart-wrenching encounter, tears of joy and many more emotions that will all partake in their growth and development, so stay tuned loves!

Thanks to everyone who liked, read, followed and reviewed the last Chapter! Your support is beyond appreciated and I hope that you continue to show me your support by leaving a review!

Now, on to my _Guest Reviewers:_

**Jolijin**: Hey there, glad to see you again! I will try my best to make references to what happened in HOC, but I'll also include a short summary in this A/N so just scroll down to read it! (Same goes to everyone else who is interested in it, of course:) ) I hope that you liked this Chapter as well and would give me your feedback! Thanks for your last review and nice words!:)

**Ainhoa**:Hi! Thanks a lot for reviewing. I am beyond happy to hear that you liked HOC and the first Chapter of Bloodline. I thank you for your kind words and hope to see more of you soon!:)

**Alaixna**: Hey! I am very happy to hear that you liked HOC. Your words are a great encouragement and make me want to work harder on the chapters and make me update faster! And yes, The Fandom has unfortunately become slightly less active than it used to be, but I am beyond grateful for your support, it means a lot to me! And thanks for the compliments, they mean a lot to me! I'll try my best to Update ASAP;)

Now, on to a **small summary of HOC **_(Contains Spoilers so I you didn't read HOC yet and just started with Bloodline, I highly recommend you to read HOC before starting Bloodline)_ :

After the Huntik team defeated the Blood Spiral, a new enemy managed to activate the Spiral Mark once more and gather all of the left-over Spirals together once more to finish the Huntik Team and the Foundation off once and for all.

After Dante left the Team for some months to help out the council, he returns but Zhalia is hurt (and slightly pissed tbh) that he simply left, if only temporarily, without contacting them during that time. The team didn't mind it too much because they knew that Dante would return after some months, but Zhalia wasn't and Dante tried to make up for it.

The team got a new member, a girl named Sara who the Organization was after but Lok and Sophie were faster and got her to join the Foundation instead. She didn't want to become a seeker but later on, Zhalia managed to convince her to become one.

The team went on missions together again and in the end, Zhalia and Dante made up after they visited Lok's mother in County Kerry and the teens started _Mission Zhante _after they found out that Scarlet has switched to the Organization to get Dante and more Power. The team tricked Byrne, fought her and in the end she got locked away.

DeFoe fled from prison, Klaus got killed by the Blood Spiral to trigger Zhalia's hatred towards them and the Spiral Mark once more got activated.

Den and Zhalia's apartment exploded so Zhalia stayed at Dante's and Den at the Casterwill mansion with Sara, Lok and Sophie. Later on they got attacked by Kiel where they barely made it out alive and Dante decided that it would b best for the team to stay at his mansion.

Sara's uncle, William, was a spy for the Foundation and infiltrated the Blood Spiral while her sister (whom she believed to have dies during her parents car-crash) turned out to be the new leader of the Blood Spiral and later on during the final battle kills their uncle.

In the end, the Huntik Team managed to kill Victoria and end the war once more.

Oh, and Vale dramatically proposed to Zhalia seconds before the final battle started.

That's it for the summary and this rather long A/N! If you have remarks, questions or wished regarding what or who you would like to see in Bloodline, leave me a comment!

See you very very soon!

Love,

Sara.


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